Image Composition Project

ENGL 429, Spring 2013

Description:
This project is an opportunity for you to CREATE through image your interpretation of some idea(s)
regarding image composition that we have explored in ENGL 429. If our discussions and blogs are the
theoretical responses to the readings, this is the creative. It is not enough to think about these ideas; we
need to experiment with them to understand.
Your task is to create an image that illustrates, contends, reflects, problematizes, and/or echoes
ideas we have explored in our readings.

Assignment Objectives:
Design an original image balancing a unique perspective on a topic within the affordances &
limitations of a mode of choice
Design an image that connects directly (or in spirit) to readings, scholars, and/or ideas from class
Clarify a rationale of design, connection to course content, and awareness of choices in design and
production of an image composition in a Statement of Goals and Choices (SOGC)
Submit proposal for image composition
Workshop image composition with peers
Share final image composition with class on due date
You are free to choose any object of study as your centerpiece. You are free to make this professionally
oriented or personally oriented. You are free to explore any mode of image that suits your purpose
(drawing, painting, photography, layout design of words and images, collage). You are free to design
digitally or offline or a combination of the two. I will try to expose you to a variety of models of image
designs for ideas; however, you are not limited to those in your own design.
This may look like (but is not limited to):
using Williams design principles (CRAP) to create a brochure or website for a non-profit group
taking Wysockis idea about finding beauty in the strange to create a 3-D (or digital) collage
series about a topic others might overlook
using McClouds principles of icon to create a comic that draws the readers attention to cultural
images you feel deserve critique
using ideas from Barthes or Sontag create a photo essay in narrative, visual argument, or
exposition on a topic of your choice
designing your own Wunderkammer (see Delegrange) in 3-D (shadowbox) or image
Perhaps the hardest part of this assignment is knowing the scope of how much is enough? Keep in
mind that it is one of three major assignments for the course. You will likely not be able to predict how
long your project will take (especially if you account for think time), but equate this with the time it
would take you to construct a polished 10-pg paper. In other words, a poster board with some cut-outs
glued to it will likely not reflect thought, time, and effort worthy of a major assignment (unless
exceptionally complex and executed).

Proposal (due Monday, Feb 18th)

I will ask you to submit a proposal for your project by Monday, February 18th (in Bb under
Assignments > Image Composition Proposal you can attach a document). This is my way of
making sure that you have a do-able idea for your project as well as providing me time to help provide
any resources you might need to design the project itself. A thoughtful, comprehensive response to the
proposal questions counts as 10% of the project grade. Note that your final project will likely vary a bit
from what you propose to do; I just want to make sure everyone is on the right track with the scope of
their goals.
Your proposal should outline the following basics:


a. What do you plan to design?


b. How does it connects with course material?


c. What resources will you need to complete this project?

Statement of Goals and Choices (SOGC) (due Friday, March 1st)

With your image composition, you should submit a SOGC (in Bb > Assignments > Image
Composition SOGC). A SOGC is a highly detailed statement where you describe how, why, and under
what conditions [you] made [your] rhetorical, technological, and methodological choices (Shipka 113).
You may choose to work with materials or technologies that I am not familiar with, and your SOGC will
provide the rationale to bridge any gaps in my understanding.
In your SOGC, you should respond to the following core questions:
1. What, specifically, is this piece trying to accomplish--above and beyond satisfying the basic
requirements outlined in the description and objectives? In other words, what work does, or might,
this piece do? For whom? In what contexts?
2. What specific rhetorical, material, methodological, and technological choices did you make in service
of accomplishing the goal(s) articulated above? Catalog, as well, choices that you might not have
consciously made, those that were made for you when you opted to work with certain genres,
materials, and technologies.
3. Why did you end up pursuing this plan as opposed to the others you came up with? How did the
various choices listed above allow you to accomplish things that other sets or combinations of choices
would not have?
4. At the end of your SOGC, list all the actors (human and non-human) that played a role in helping you
accomplish this task: scholars, tools, technologies, individuals. This is like a rolling credits for your
project.




















(Shipka 114)

Presentation of Image Composition (on Friday, March 1st)

This is our celebration of your project. Be prepared to display the image for the class as well as talk
about your process for designing and your goals (think an abbreviated SOGC). Although not graded as a
presentation, sharing your final project with the group is a required component of this project.
Grading Rubric
Exceptional (A)
Image Design

Strong (B)

Proficient (C)

Insufficient (D)

Incomplete (F)

Poor execution of
an original design.

Incomplete image
design.

Exceptional
execution of an
original design.

Strong execution
of an original
design.

Comprehensive
execution of an
original design.

Choices in image
design maximize
affordances of mode
and/or genre.

Choices in image
design take
advantage of
affordances of
mode and/or
genre.

Choices in image
design use
affordances of
mode and/or
genre.

Connection to
Course

Image composition
represents an
exceptional
expansion of
scholars work,
concepts, and/or
discussions from
ENGL 429.

Image
composition
represents an
strong expansion
of scholars work,
concepts, and/or
discussions from
ENGL 429.

Image
composition
represents a clear
expansion of
scholars work,
concepts, and/or
discussions from
ENGL 429.

Image
composition
represents an
insufficient
expansion of
scholars work,
concepts, and/or
discussions from
ENGL 429.
Project may
loosely connect or
connection may
be somewhat
unclear from
SOGC

No connection to
course scholars,
concepts, and/or
discussions. Or
connection is
unclear.

Clarity of
Reflection

SOGC reflects
exceptional
awareness of aspects
of textual and social
production,
clarity of rationale,
and connection of
rationale with
choices made in
textual design.

SOGC reflects
strong awareness
of aspects of
textual and social
production,
clarity of
rationale, and
connection of
rationale with
choices made in
textual design.

SOGC reflects
awareness of
aspects of textual
and social
production,
clarity of
rationale, and
connection of
rationale with
choices made in
textual design.

SOGC reflects
vague awareness
of aspects of
textual and social
production,
clarity of
rationale, and
connection of
rationale with
choices made in
textual design.

No SOGC
present, or SOGC
fails to reflect on
choices in
production,
rationale, and
choices made in
design.

Choices in image
design fail to use
affordances of
mode and/or
genre.